Are these thoughts keeping you stuck?
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Do you feel anxious and exhausted, wondering why nothing seems to help?
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Questioning why you keep having the same fight with your partner?
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Feeling like you should be “over it” by now, but the grief hasn't gone away?
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Unsure how to move forward after trauma, religious betrayal, or loss?
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Do you just want to feel better but don’t know where to start?
At Gateway Therapy, you can get help with these topics and more:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Heal from past trauma by understanding its impact, reclaiming your sense of safety, and building a deep well of resilience.
Grief & Loss
Navigate the pain of loss with compassionate support as you process emotions and find a path toward healing.
Religious Trauma & Betrayal
Work through the pain of spiritual wounds, reclaim your autonomy, and redefine your beliefs on your own terms.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Explore your inner world with compassion, heal wounded parts, and reconnect with your core self to experience emotional freedom.
Infertility
Navigate the emotional toll of infertility and feel seen, supported, and empowered in your journey.
Mold Exposure
Healing
Address the emotional and psychological effects of mold exposure, including anxiety, trauma, and stress-related symptoms.
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy
Receive safe, guided support to access deeper insight, release stuck patterns, and foster lasting emotional healing.
Anxiety
Quiet the racing thoughts, ease emotional overwhelm, and develop tools to navigate daily life with confidence.
Adverse Life Events & Transitions
Process life’s unexpected challenges with care, and gain insight into how they shape your present situation as well as your future.
Melissa Johnson, LCSW, founder of Gateway Therapy in Louisville, Kentucky.
You don't have to figure it out alone. I'm here to help.
I’m Melissa Johnson, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a trauma-informed therapist, and the founder of Gateway Therapy in Louisville, Kentucky. I specialize in helping adults heal from grief, trauma, anxiety, and life’s most difficult transitions. If you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself, therapy can help you find clarity, self-compassion, and a path forward.
With training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, I offer approaches that go beyond just talking and that guide you toward deep and lasting healing. I work with my clients collaboratively, which means you won’t be given a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. Instead, we’ll explore your experiences together, honoring your emotions and uncovering new ways to navigate life’s challenges.
If you are...
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Feeling exhausted from carrying emotions that others don’t seem to understand
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Wondering why certain patterns keep repeating in your life and relationships
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Being told to “move on,” but the pain is still there
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Questioning why you can’t just feel better already...
I want you to know that it doesn’t have to be this way. Healing is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone.
If you’re ready to take the first step, I invite you to book a free consultation to see if we’re the right fit to work together. You deserve support that truly meets you where you are. I look forward to connecting with you.
Frequently asked questions
How long does therapy take?
Everyone has a different timeline, so therapy generally takes as long as you need. It often depends on your appointment frequency, engagement in the therapeutic process, and personal life experiences. Even after improvements, maintenance sessions can be ideal for many people. Sometimes, slow is fast — which means that going slow can often result in greater, faster improvements than clients have seen in years of trying to go it alone.
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What can I expect from working with a therapist?
A therapist should be patient, present, and attentive. They should offer
perspective, a broader understanding of your experience, and support and commitment even when the process is challenging for you.
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Can people actually heal?
Yes, people often feel better after therapy. This is especially true with an approach like Internal Family Systems (IFS), which aims to help you understand and heal the different “parts” of yourself, leading to improved emotional regulation, self-awareness, and overall wellbeing by addressing internal conflicts and fostering a more compassionate inner dialogue. Research indicates that IFS can be helpful in treating symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health issues.
Will I feel worse before I feel better?
When therapy is new, or while you’re new at talking about your feelings, sessions can sometimes leave you feeling drained or overwhelmed. You will learn new tools and perspectives to understand these feelings and what to do to help yourself. Sometimes a changed perspective allows you to notice patterns or feelings you have not observed before, which might require decisions or just contemplation of this new information. Also, it's important to remember that holding in our trauma often takes just as much energy as processing it — but by doing something about it, we won't have to hold on to it forever.
Will we just talk?
Therapy will include talking, but it's not just about talking — it involves developing new skills, too. You'll learn to actively identify and address your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to gain insight, find patterns, and develop healthy skills and coping mechanisms.
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Do you take insurance?
Not at this time. However, I’m happy to provide a superbill (a receipt you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement) if your insurance plan allows it.
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I know that paying for therapy out-of-pocket can feel like a big decision, and I want to explain why I don’t take insurance, and how this actually benefits you.
Most insurance companies set strict rules about how therapy works. They limit the number of sessions you can have per year, they cap session lengths at 45-55 minutes, and they require ongoing justification for why they should keep paying for your therapy. Not only is this approach based solely on their profits (and not on the care you actually need), but it's also unnecessarily pathologizing because it forces therapists to assign you a mental health diagnosis and then give those records to your insurance plan.
The truth of the matter is that some clients need longer or more frequent sessions, and many simply want more privacy than insurance allows. By keeping therapy independent from insurance plans, I can provide the highest quality, most personalized care to fit your unique needs and healing timeline.
If you have questions, let’s talk! I want you to get the support you deserve.